Sun position tracking

ABSTRACT

Tracking the position of the sun is provided where light from sources other than direct sunlight can be ignored. In particular, lights from various sources can be passed through differently angled polarizers to determine radiation energies from the polarizers. This can indicate whether the original light is polarized or substantially non-polarized, like the sun. Additionally, the light can be passed through a spectral filter to reject light not falling within a spectrum of wavelengths or having weak intensity with respect to direct sunlight. Subsequently, the light can pass through a ball lens and quadrant cell configuration to optimally align a device or apparatus to receive the direct sunlight. Additionally, the size of a focus point of the light through the ball lens and onto the quadrant cell can determine a collimation of the light, which can indicate direct sunlight as well.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/077,991, filed on Jul. 3, 2008, entitled “SUN POSITION TRACKING,”the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Limited supply of fossil energy resources and associated globalenvironmental damage have compelled market forces to diversify energyresources and related technologies. One such resource that has receivedsome attention is solar energy, which employs photovoltaic technology toconvert light into electricity. Solar technology is typicallyimplemented in a series of solar (photovoltaic) cells or panels of cellsthat receive sunlight and convert the sunlight into electricity, whichcan be subsequently fed into a power grid. Significant progress has beenachieved in design and production of solar panels, which has effectivelyincreased efficiency while reducing manufacturing cost thereof. As morehighly efficient solar cells are developed, size of the cell isdecreasing leading to an increase in the practicality of employing solarpanels to provide a competitive renewable energy substitute. To thisend, solar energy collection systems can be deployed to feed solarenergy into power grids.

Typically, a solar energy collection system includes an array of solarpanels arranged in rows and mounted on a support structure. Such solarpanels can be oriented to optimize the solar panel energy output to suitthe particular solar energy collection system design requirements. Solarpanels can be mounted on a fixed structure, with a fixed orientation andfixed tilt, or can be mounted on a moving structure to aim the solarpanels toward the sun as properly orienting the panels to receive themaximum solar radiation will yield increased production of energy. Someautomated tracking systems have been developed to point panels towardthe sun based on the time and date alone, as the sun position can besomewhat predicted from these metrics; however, this does not providefor optimal alignment as the sun position can narrowly change from itscalculated position. Other approaches include sensing light andaccordingly aiming the solar panels toward the light. These technologiestypically employ a shadow mask such that when the sun is on the axis ofthe detector, shadowed and directly illuminated areas of the cell are ofequal size. However, such technologies detect light produced from manysources other than direct sunlight, such as reflection from clouds,lasers, etc.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects described herein. This summary is not anextensive overview nor is intended to identify key/critical elements orto delineate the scope of the various aspects described herein. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

Tracking position of the sun is provided where direct sunlight can bedetected over other sources of light. In this regard, solar cells can beconcentrated substantially directly on the sunlight yielding high energyefficiency. In particular, light analyzers can operate in conjunctionwithin a sunlight tracker where each analyzer can receive one of aplurality of light sources. Resulting photo-signals from the analyzerscan be produced and compared to determine if the light is directsunlight; in this regard, sources that are not determined to be directsunlight can be ignored. In one example, the light analyzers cancomprise a polarizer, spectral filter, ball lens, and/or a quadrant cellto effectuate this purpose. In addition, an amplifier can be provided toconvey a resulting photo-signal for processing thereof, for instance.

According to an example, a number of light analyzers can be configuredin a given sunlight tracker. For instance, the polarizers of the lightanalyzers can be utilized to ensure substantial non-polarization of theoriginal light source, as is the case for direct sunlight. In anexample, the spectral filter of the light analyzer can be utilized toblock certain light wavelengths allowing a range utilized by sunlight.Moreover, ball lens and quadrant cell configurations can be utilized todetermine a collimation property of the light to further identify directsunlight as well as correct alignment of the axis to receive a highamount of direct sunlight. The resulting photo-signal from each lightanalyzer can be collected and compared amongst the others to determineif the light source is direct sunlight. In one example, where the lightis determined to be direct sunlight, position of a solar panel can beautomatically adjusted, according to a position of the light through aball lens and on a quadrant cell, so the sunlight is optimally alignedwith the axis of the quadrant cells.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certainillustrative aspects are described herein in connection with thefollowing description and the annexed drawings. These aspects areindicative of various ways which can be practiced, all of which areintended to be covered herein. Other advantages and novel features maybecome apparent from the following detailed description when consideredin conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system thatfacilitates tracking and positioning a device into direct sunlight.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system thatfacilitates tracking position of the sun.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system thatfacilitates tracking the sun and appropriately positioning solar cells.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system thatfacilitates remotely positioning solar cells based on sun positiontracking.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary system that facilitates optimallyaligning solar cells based on a position of direct sunlight.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for determining polarizationof a light source.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for determining whether alight source is direct sunlight.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for positioning solar cellsto optimally receive direct sunlight.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a sample processingenvironment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a sample computing environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Tracking sun position by optimally analyzing sunlight is provided wheredirect sunlight can be substantially distinguished from other lightsources, such as sunlight reflections off certain objects, lasers,and/or the like. In particular, the direct sunlight can be identifiedaccording to its non-polarization, collimated property, light frequency,and/or the like. Once the direct sunlight is detected, in one example,solar cells can be automatically adjusted to receive the sunlight in anoptimal alignment allowing highly efficient harnessing of maximal solarenergy while avoiding alignment with other weaker light sources. Thesolar cells can be adjusted individually, as part of a panel of cells,and/or the like, for example.

According to an example, solar panels can be equipped with components todifferentiate and concentrate in on sunlight. For example, one or morepolarizers can be provided and positioned such that a light source canbe evaluated to determine polarization thereof. As direct sunlight issubstantially not polarized, similar radiation levels measured acrossthe polarizers can indicate a direct sunlight source. Moreover, spectralfilters can be included to filter out light having merely asubstantially different color spectrum as the sun, such as green lasers,red lasers, and/or the like. In addition, a ball lens and quadrant cellcan be provided where the light source passes through the ball lens andonto a quadrant cell; the size of a focal point on the quadrant cell canbe utilized to determine collimation of the light. If the light iscollimated beyond a threshold, it can be determined as direct sunlight.In this case, the ball lens and quadrant cell can further determineoptimal positioning for the cell to receive a maximal amount of sunlightbased at least in part on a position of the focal point on the quadrantcells. Thus, the solar cells can be automatically adjusted to receivedirect sunlight without confusion of disparate light sources.

Various aspects of the subject disclosure are now described withreference to the annexed drawings, wherein like numerals refer to likeor corresponding elements throughout. It should be understood, however,that the drawings and detailed description relating thereto are notintended to limit the claimed subject matter to the particular formdisclosed. Rather, the intention is to cover all modifications,equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of theclaimed subject matter.

Now turning to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 thatfacilitates tracking sunlight for optimally aligning a device based onthe position of the sunlight. A sunlight tracking component 102 isprovided to determine if light received is direct sunlight or light fromanother source and can track the direct sunlight based on thedetermination. Additionally, a positioning component 104 is providedthat can align a device according to the sunlight position. In oneexample, the device can comprise one or more solar cells (or panels ofsolar cells), which can be optimally aligned with respect to the directsunlight to receive a substantially maximal amount of light forconversion into electricity via photovoltaic technology, for example.According to an example, the sunlight tracking component 102 can trackthe sunlight and convey positioning information to the positioningcomponent 104 so that the device can be optimally positioned (e.g., thesolar cells can be moved into a desirable position to receivesubstantially optimal direct sunlight).

In one example, the sunlight tracking component 102 can evaluate aplurality of light sources to determine which source is direct sunlight.This can include receiving the light through multiple polarizers angledsuch that polarized light can yield different results at each polarizerwhereas non-polarized light, such as direct sunlight, can yieldsubstantially the same result at the polarizers. Moreover, according toan example, the sunlight tracking component 102 can differentiate lightsources based on wavelength, which can provide exclusion of lasers orother light sources distinguishable in this regard. In addition, thefilter can provide attenuation in substantially all wavelengths suchthat when combined an amplifier, sunlight can be detected based at leastin part on strength of the lights source. Additionally, the sunlighttracking component 102 can determine a collimation property of the lightsource to determine whether the light is direct sunlight. Furthermore,the sunlight tracking component 102 can evaluate the alignment of one ormore devices, with respect to the axis of the light source thereon, todetermine movement required to optimally align the device with thedetermined direct sunlight, in one example.

Subsequently, the position information can be conveyed to thepositioning component 104, which can control one or more axial positionsof a device (e.g., a solar cell or one or more panels of cells). In thisregard, upon receiving the location information from the sunlighttracking component 102, the positioning component 104 can move thedevice and/or an apparatus on which the device is mounted to align theaxis of the direct sunlight in an optimal position with respect to thedevice. The sunlight tracking component 102 can analyze the directsunlight on a timer, or it can follow the sunlight as it moves byconstantly determining the optimal alignment with respect to the lightaxis. In addition, the sunlight tracking component 102 can be configuredas part of a solar cell or panel of cells (e.g., behind or within one ormore cells or affixed/mounted to the panel or an associated apparatus).In this regard, the sunlight tracking component 102 can move with thecells to evaluate the optimal position as the positioning component 104moves the cells and sunlight tracking component 102. In another example,the sunlight tracking component 102 can be at a separate location thanthe cells and can convey accurate positioning information to thepositioning component 104, which can appropriately position the cells.

Referring to FIG. 2, an example system 200 for tracking position of thesun with respect to deviation from an axis of one or more related solarcells or substantially any apparatus is displayed. A sunlight trackingcomponent 102 is described that can track position of direct sunlightusing a plurality of light analyzing components 204 that can approximatea light source based at least in part on one or more measurementsrelated to the light source. The sunlight tracking component 102 cancomprise the multiple light analyzing components 204 to provideredundancy as well as to analyze a light source from disparateperspectives. In one example, as described, the sunlight trackingcomponent 102 can identify direct sunlight as it is positioned onvarious light sources and accordingly deliver information regardingpositioning one or more solar cells to receive the direct sunlight at anoptimal axis. Though the sunlight tracking component 102 is shown ashaving 3 light analyzing components 204, it is to be appreciated thatmore or less light analyzing components 204 can be utilized in oneexample. Additionally, the light analyzing component(s) 204 utilized cancomprise one or more of the components shown and described as a part ofthe light analyzing component 204, or can share such components amonglight analyzing components 204, in one example.

Each light analyzing component 204 includes a polarizer 206 that canpolarize a received light source, at which point a received radiationlevel from the polarizer 206 can be measured. For each light analyzingcomponent 204, the polarizers 206 can be configured at disparate angles.In an example having 3 light analyzing components 204, and thus 3polarizers 206, the polarizers can be configured at substantially 120degree angle offsets. In this regard, radiation measurements from eachpolarizer 206 receiving light from the same source can be evaluated.Where a light source is at least somewhat polarized, once received bythe polarizers 206, the radiation levels of the resulting beam candiffer at each polarizer 206 indicating a somewhat polarized lightsource. Conversely, where a light source is substantially non-polarized,the resulting radiation levels subsequent to passing through differentlyangled polarizers 206 can be substantially similar. In this way, sincedirect sunlight is substantially non-polarized, it can be detected overpolarized light sources, such as sunlight reflected off many surfacesincluding clouds or other light sources, for example. It is to beappreciated that the radiation level can be measured once the lightpasses to lower layers of the light analyzing component 204 by aprocessor (not shown) and/or the like to determine the levels anddifferences therebetween.

In addition, the light analyzing components 204 can include spectralfilters 208 to filter out light sources of substantially disparate ormore focused wavelength than direct sunlight. For example, the spectralfilters 208 can pass light having wavelengths between approximately 560nanometer (nm) to 600 nm. Thus, most laser radiation (e.g., commonlyused 525 nm green and 635 nm red lasers) can be substantially rejectedat the spectral filters 208 whereas a majority of a direct sunlightsource can still pass. This can prevent tampering with a collection ofsolar cells as well as locking on to a weak and/or intermittent lightsource. Light sources passing through the spectral filter 208 can bereceived by a ball lens 210 that can concentrate the light onto quadrantcells 212. A somewhat collimated light source, such as direct sunlight,can come to a focus behind the ball lens 210 on the quadrant cells 212at a point less than a threshold. Thus, this can be another indicationof direct sunlight according to the level of collimation measured by thesize of the focused point where diffuse light sources, indicated by alarger or more than one focused point, for example, can be rejected. Itis to be appreciated that other types of curved lenses can be utilizedin this regard as well.

In addition, the quadrant cells 212 can provide an indication of axialalignment of the light analyzing component 204 (and thus solar cells orsubstantially any device or apparatus associated with the sunlighttracking component 102) with respect to the position of the focusedpoint on the quadrant cells 212 from the light passing through the balllens 210. For example, the angle at which the light shines on the lightanalyzing components 204 can be determined as it passes through the balllens 210 and comes to a point on the quadrant cells 212. The point onthe quadrant cells 212 can indicate the angle and can be used todetermine a direction and movement required to receive the light at anoptimal angle. Additionally, an amplifier 214 is provided at each lightanalyzing component 204 to receive a photo-signal comprising therelevant information from the light as described.

In addition, light sources can be rejected based at least in part onbrightness. This can be accomplished, for example, using the spectralfilter 208 to provide significant attenuation if substantially allwavelengths; this together with gain from the amplifier 214 can beutilized to determine a brightness of the source. Light sources below aspecified threshold can be rejected. Also, a time variation in the lightintensity (e.g., a modulation of the light source) can be measured. Itis to be appreciated that direct sunlight is substantially notmodulated, and sources indicating some modulation can be rejected inthis regard as well.

As mentioned above, the inferred parameters and information can beconveyed to a processor (not shown) for processing and determination ofsource of the light, whether the associated solar cell, device, orapparatus needs repositioning according to the point on the quadrantcells 212, and/or the like. The information can be conveyed to theprocessor by the amplifier 214, in one example. In this regard, directsunlight can be differentiated from disparate light sources based on theabove parameters procured by the light analyzing component 204 resultingin optimal positioning of solar cells to receive substantially maximalsolar energy.

Turning now to FIG. 3, an example system 300 is displayed fordetermining a position of the sun and tracking the position to ensureoptimal alignment of one or more solar cells. A sunlight trackingcomponent 102 is provided to determine a position of direct sunlightwhile ignoring other light sources, as described, as well as a solarcell positioning component 302 that can position one or more solar cellsor panels of cells to optimally receive direct sunlight, and a clockcomponent 304 that can provide an approximate sunlight location based atleast in part on the time of day and/or time of year, for example. It isto be appreciated that the sunlight tracking component 102 can beconfigured within one or more solar cells, affixed to or near the solarcells or representative panel, positioned on a device that axiallycontrols position of the cells/panel, and/or the like, for example.

According to an example, the solar cell positioning component 302 caninitially position a solar cell, set of cells, and/or an apparatuscomprising one or more cells to an approximate position of sunlightbased at least in part on the clock component 304. In this regard, theclock component 304 can store information regarding positions of the sunat different times of day throughout a month, season, year, collectionof years, and/or the like. This information can be obtained from avariety of sources including fixed or manually programmed within theclock component 304, provided externally or remotely to the clockcomponent 304, inferred by the clock component 304 from previousreadings of the sunlight tracking component 102, and/or the like. Inthis regard, the clock component 304 can approximate a position of thesunlight at a given point in time, and the solar cell positioningcomponent 302 can move the cell or cells according to that position.

Subsequently, the sunlight tracking component 102 can be utilized tofine-tune the position of the cells as described above. Specifically,once approximately positioned, the sunlight tracking component 102 candifferentiate between the supposed direct sunlight and sunlightreflected from disparate objects, including clouds, buildings, otherobstructions, and/or the like. The sunlight tracking component 102 canaccomplish this differentiation utilizing the components and processingdescribed above, including determining a polarization of the lightsource, inferring a collimation property of the light source, measuringa brightness or strength of the light source, discerning a level ofmodulation (or non-modulation) of the source, filtering out certainwavelength colors, and/or the like. Moreover, the ball lens and quadrantcell configuration described above can be utilized to determine an axialmovement required to ensure a substantially direct axis of light to thecells. It is to be appreciated that the clock component 304 can be usedto initially configure the cell positions. In another example, the cellscan be inactive during nocturnal hours and the clock component 304 canbe utilized to position the cells at sunrise. Moreover, in the case ofsignificant obstruction, where there can be substantially no directsunlight for the sunlight tracking component 102 to detect, the clockcomponent 304 can be utilized to follow the predicted path of the sununtil sunlight is available for detection by the sunlight trackingcomponent 102, etc. In this example, where there is disparity in theclock component 304 prediction of the sun and the sunlight trackingcomponent 102 actual determination and measurement, the disparity can betaken into account by the clock component 304 to ensure more accurateoperation when its utilization is desired.

Turning now to FIG. 4, an example system 400 for tracking sunlight andpositioning remote devices to receive the optimal amount of light isillustrated. A sunlight tracking component 102 is provided fordetermining a position of the sun based on differentiating the sun lightsource from other light sources. Additionally, a sunlight informationtransmitting component 402 is provided to transmit information from thesunlight tracking component 102 regarding precise position of thesunlight as well as solar cell positioning component 302 that canposition one or more solar cells based at least in part on informationfrom the sunlight information transmitting component 402 sent over thenetwork 404.

In this example, the sunlight tracking component 102 can be disparatelylocated from the solar cells; however, based at least in part on knownpositions of the sunlight tracking component 102 and the cells, accurateinformation can be provided to position the remotely located cells. Forexample, the sunlight tracking component 102 can determine asubstantially accurate position of the sun based on distinguishingdirect sunlight from other sources of light as described above. Inparticular, light from different sources can be measured based at leastin part on polarization, collimation, intensity, modulation, and/orwavelength to narrow the sources down to possible direct sunlight asdescribed. In addition, optimal alignment on the axis of the light canbe determined for maximal light utilization using the ball lens andquadrant cells. Once precise locations are determined, the sunlighttracking component 102 can convey the information to the sunlightinformation transmitting component 402.

Upon receiving the precise alignment information, the sunlightinformation transmitting component 402 can send the information to theremotely located solar cell positioning component 302, over network 404,to axially position a set of solar cells to receive substantiallymaximal direct sunlight. In particular, the solar cell positioningcomponent 302 can receive the precise alignment information, account fordifference in location between one or more solar cells/panels and thesunlight tracking component 102, and optimally align the cells/panels toreceive optimal sunlight for photovoltaic energy conversion. It is to beappreciated that difference in position between the sunlight trackingcomponent 102 and the cells can affect the relative position of the sunat each location. Thus, disparity can be calculated according to thedifference in location (e.g., location determined using globalpositioning system (GPS) and/or the like). In another example, thedisparity can be measured upon installation of the solar cells and/orthe sunlight tracking component 102 and be a fixed calculation performedupon receiving the precise sun location information.

Referring to FIG. 5, an example system 500 is shown for locking a solarcell configuration onto direct sunlight to facilitate optimalphotovoltaic energy generation. In particular, an axially rotatableapparatus 502 is provided, which can comprise one or more solar cells orpanels of cells as well as an attached sunlight tracking component 102as described herein. In one example, the axially rotatable apparatus 502can be one of a field of similar apparatuses desiring to receive directsunlight. In this example, the sunlight tracking component 102 can beaffixed to each axially rotatable apparatus 502 or there can be asunlight tracking component that operates a plurality of axiallyrotatable apparatuses in the field (and can be separate or attached to asingle apparatus of the plurality in this regard), for example.

As shown, the axially rotatable apparatus 502 can be positioned toreceive an optimal axis of direct sunlight 504. The sunlight trackingcomponent 102 can detect the direct sunlight 504 to this end asdescribed supra, and a positioning component (not shown) can rotate theaxially rotatable apparatus 502 according to an indicated position ofthe optimal axis of direct sunlight. As mentioned, the sunlight trackingcomponent 102 can evaluate various sources of light in proximity to thedirect sunlight, such as reflective light 506 and/or laser 508, todetermine which source is direct sunlight 504. As described, the axiallyrotatable apparatus 502 can move among the light sources, thus similarlymoving the sunlight tracking component 102, allowing the sunlighttracking component 102 to analyze the light sources determining which isdirect sunlight 504.

For example, the sunlight tracking component 102 can receive light fromone of the shown reflective light 506 sources and determine whether toalign the cells to optimally receive the reflective light 506. However,the sunlight tracking component 506 can determine the reflective light506 source is, indeed, reflective light, as described, by evaluatingradiation levels upon polarization by a plurality of differently angledpolarizers. The levels can differ at a level indicating the light ispolarized and thus not direct sunlight; the sunlight tracking component102 can instruct a positioning component to move the axially rotatableapparatus 502 to another light source for evaluation. In anotherexample, the sunlight tracking component 102 can receive light from thelaser 508, but can indicate the laser light is not direct sunlight as itcan be substantially filtered out by a spectral filter as described.Thus, the sunlight tracking component 102 can instruct to move theaxially rotatable apparatus 502 to another light source.

In another example, the sunlight tracking component 102 can receivelight from the direct sunlight 504 source and distinguish this light asdirect sunlight. As described, this can occur by processing radiationlevels for the light upon polarization by the aforementioned polarizers,which can indicate similar radiation levels. Thus, the sunlight trackingcomponent 102 can determine the light source is substantiallynon-polarized, like direct sunlight; if the sunlight passes through thespectral filter, the sunlight tracking component 102 can determine thelight 504 is direct sunlight. Subsequently, as described, the sunlighttracking component 102 can utilize a ball lens and quadrant cellconfiguration to determine a collimation of the light source to ensureit is direct sunlight. The sunlight tracking component 102 canadditionally determine intensity of the light source using the spectralfilter to provide significant attenuation for substantially allwavelengths that can be measured with a gain from an amplifier receivingthe photo-signal. The resulting signal can be compared to a threshold todetermine a requisite intensity for sunlight. Moreover, the modulationof the photo-signal can be measured to determine time variation; wherethe light is substantially non-modulated, this can be another indicationof direct sunlight. In addition, the ball lens and quadrant cellconfiguration can be used, as described, to optimally angle the axiallyrotatable apparatus 502 to align on the axis of the direct sunlight 504.

The aforementioned systems, architectures and the like have beendescribed with respect to interaction between several components. Itshould be appreciated that such systems and components can include thosecomponents or sub-components specified therein, some of the specifiedcomponents or sub-components, and/or additional components.Sub-components could also be implemented as components communicativelycoupled to other components rather than included within parentcomponents. Further yet, one or more components and/or sub-componentsmay be combined into a single component to provide aggregatefunctionality. Communication between systems, components and/orsub-components can be accomplished in accordance with either a pushand/or pull model. The components may also interact with one or moreother components not specifically described herein for the sake ofbrevity, but known by those of skill in the art.

Furthermore, as will be appreciated, various portions of the disclosedsystems and methods may include or consist of artificial intelligence,machine learning, or knowledge or rule based components, sub-components,processes, means, methodologies, or mechanisms (e.g., support vectormachines, neural networks, expert systems, Bayesian belief networks,fuzzy logic, data fusion engines, classifiers . . . ). Such components,inter alia, can automate certain mechanisms or processes performedthereby to make portions of the systems and methods more adaptive aswell as efficient and intelligent, for instance by inferring actionsbased on contextual information. By way of example and not limitation,such mechanism can be employed with respect to generation ofmaterialized views and the like.

In view of the exemplary systems described supra, methodologies that maybe implemented in accordance with the disclosed subject matter will bebetter appreciated with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 6-8. Whilefor purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodologies are shownand described as a series of blocks, it is to be understood andappreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the orderof the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/orconcurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and describedherein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required toimplement the methodologies described hereinafter.

FIG. 6 shows a methodology 600 for determining polarization of a lightsource to partially infer whether the light is direct sunlight. It is tobe appreciated that additional measures can be taken, as describedherein, to decide the source of the light. At 602, light is receivedfrom a source; the source can include sunlight (e.g., direct orreflected from clouds, structures, etc.), lasers, and/or similarconcentrated sources. At 604, the light is passed through differentlyangled polarizers. As described, varying the angle of the polarizers canrender disparate resulting light beams over the polarizers where theoriginal light is polarized. Thus, at 606, a radiation level can bemeasured after polarization at each polarizer. The various measurementscan be compared, and at 608, the polarization of the original light fromthe source can be determined. As described, where the comparedmeasurements differ beyond a threshold, it can be determined that theoriginal light was polarized; however, where there is not muchdifference between the measurements, the original light can benon-polarized. Since direct sunlight is substantially non-polarized,this determination can indicate whether the original light is directsunlight.

FIG. 7 illustrates a methodology 700 that further facilitatesdetermining whether light received from a source is direct sunlight. At702, the light is received from the source. As described, the source caninclude direct or indirect sunlight, lasers, and/or the like.Additionally, at 704, the polarization of the light can be determined asdescribed previously. Subsequently, at 706, the light can be passedthrough a wavelength filter that rejects portions of light sources thatare not within a specified wavelength. For example, the wavelengthfilter can be such that it rejects lights not in a range utilized bysunlight. The filter, thus, can reject some laser lights (e.g., red andgreen lasers in one example) and only pass light that is in the range.In addition, the filter can provide significant attenuation insubstantially all wavelengths. This can be taken, together, with gain ofthe resulting photo-signal, to indicate an intensity of the light sourcethat can additionally be utilized to determine if the source is directsunlight. At 708, it can be determined whether the light is directsunlight; for example, this can be based at least in part on whether thelight passed through the filter as well as the determined polarization.As described, where the light is not polarized, there is a possibilitythat it is direct sunlight as many reflected sunlight sources (e.g.,deflected from clouds, structures, and the like) are polarized.Furthermore, the wavelength filter can provide further assurance ofdirect sunlight if the light is substantially within the correctwavelength.

FIG. 8 shows a methodology 800 for aiming solar cells to receive anoptimally aligned axis of light for generating solar energy. At 802,light is received from a source. As described, this light can come frommany sources, and at 804, it can be determined whether the light isdirect sunlight. In this regard, other light sources, such as reflectedlight, lasers, etc. can be rejected as described herein. For example, avariety of polarizers, spectral filters, and/or the like can be utilizedto reject unwanted light sources. This can be based at least in part ondetermining a polarization level of the light, a collimation of thelight (e.g., via measuring a size of a focal point on a quadrant cell ofthe light passing through a ball lens), an intensity of the light (e.g.,measured by gain from an amplifier receiving the light), a spectrum ofthe light (e.g., measured through a spectral filter), a modulation ofthe light, and/or the like as described. At 806, an optimal axialalignment is determined to receive the direct sunlight. This can bedetermined, as described, using a ball lens and quadrant cellconfiguration, for example, to focus a point from the light on thequadrant cell. The light can shine on the ball lens, which reflects thelight as one or more points on the quadrant cell. Alignment can beadjusted based on position of the point on the quadrant cell. At 808,one or more solar cells can be positioned according to the axialalignment. Thus, direct sunlight can be detected, and solar cells can bepositioned optimally on the axis of the sunlight to receive a maximalenergy for photovoltaic conversion, in one example.

As used herein, the terms “component,” “system” and the like areintended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, acombination of hardware and software, software, or software inexecution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being,a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an instance,an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. Byway of illustration, both an application running on a computer and thecomputer can be a component. One or more components may reside within aprocess and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized onone computer and/or distributed between two or more computers.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example,instance or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other aspects or designs. Furthermore, examples areprovided solely for purposes of clarity and understanding and are notmeant to limit the subject innovation or relevant portion thereof in anymanner. It is to be appreciated that a myriad of additional or alternateexamples could have been presented, but have been omitted for purposesof brevity.

Furthermore, all or portions of the subject innovation may beimplemented as a method, apparatus or article of manufacture usingstandard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software,firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a computer toimplement the disclosed innovation. The term “article of manufacture” asused herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible fromany computer-readable device or media. For example, computer readablemedia can include but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g.,hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ), optical disks (e.g.,compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) . . . ), smart cards,and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive . . . ).Additionally it should be appreciated that a carrier wave can beemployed to carry computer-readable electronic data such as those usedin transmitting and receiving electronic mail or in accessing a networksuch as the Internet or a local area network (LAN). Of course, thoseskilled in the art will recognize many modifications may be made to thisconfiguration without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimedsubject matter.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIGS. 9 and 10 as well as the following discussion areintended to provide a brief, general description of a suitableenvironment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject mattermay be implemented. While the subject matter has been described above inthe general context of computer-executable instructions of a programthat runs on one or more computers, those skilled in the art willrecognize that the subject innovation also may be implemented incombination with other program modules. Generally, program modulesinclude routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. thatperform particular tasks and/or implement particular abstract datatypes. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that thesystems/methods may be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, including single-processor, multiprocessor or multi-coreprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframe computers,as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g.,personal digital assistant (PDA), phone, watch . . . ),microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial electronics,and the like. The illustrated aspects may also be practiced indistributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remoteprocessing devices that are linked through a communications network.However, some, if not all aspects of the claimed subject matter can bepracticed on stand-alone computers. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotememory storage devices.

With reference to FIG. 9, an exemplary environment 900 for implementingvarious aspects disclosed herein includes a computer 912 (e.g., desktop,laptop, server, hand held, programmable consumer or industrialelectronics . . . ). The computer 912 includes a processing unit 914, asystem memory 916 and a system bus 918. The system bus 918 couplessystem components including, but not limited to, the system memory 916to the processing unit 914. The processing unit 914 can be any ofvarious available microprocessors. It is to be appreciated that dualmicroprocessors, multi-core and other multiprocessor architectures canbe employed as the processing unit 914.

The system memory 916 includes volatile and nonvolatile memory. Thebasic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines totransfer information between elements within the computer 912, such asduring start-up, is stored in nonvolatile memory. By way ofillustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory can include readonly memory (ROM). Volatile memory includes random access memory (RAM),which can act as external cache memory to facilitate processing.

Computer 912 also includes removable/non-removable,volatile/non-volatile computer storage media. FIG. 9 illustrates, forexample, mass storage 924. Mass storage 924 includes, but is not limitedto, devices like a magnetic or optical disk drive, floppy disk drive,flash memory or memory stick. In addition, mass storage 924 can includestorage media separately or in combination with other storage media.

FIG. 9 provides software application(s) 928 that act as an intermediarybetween users and/or other computers and the basic computer resourcesdescribed in suitable operating environment 900. Such softwareapplication(s) 928 include one or both of system and applicationsoftware. System software can include an operating system, which can bestored on mass storage 924, that acts to control and allocate resourcesof the computer system 912. Application software takes advantage of themanagement of resources by system software through program modules anddata stored on either or both of system memory 916 and mass storage 924.

The computer 912 also includes one or more interface components 926 thatare communicatively coupled to the bus 918 and facilitate interactionwith the computer 912. By way of example, the interface component 926can be a port (e.g., serial, parallel, PCMCIA, USB, FireWire . . . ) oran interface card (e.g., sound, video, network . . . ) or the like. Theinterface component 926 can receive input and provide output (wired orwirelessly). For instance, input can be received from devices includingbut not limited to, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball,stylus, touch pad, keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellitedish, scanner, camera, other computer and the like. Output can also besupplied by the computer 912 to output device(s) via interface component926. Output devices can include displays (e.g., CRT, LCD, plasma . . .), speakers, printers and other computers, among other things.

According to an example, the processing unit(s) 914 can comprise orreceive instructions related to determining existence of direct sunlightfrom one or more polarization or spectral filter outputs, for example.It is to be appreciated that the system memory 916 can additionally oralternatively house such instructions and the processing unit(s) 914 canbe utilized to process the instructions. Moreover, the system memory 916can retain and/or the processing unit(s) 914 can comprise instructionsto effectuate updating of the directory objects to ensure replicationwith one or more additional operating environments, for example.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a sample-computing environment1000 with which the subject innovation can interact. The system 1000includes one or more client(s) 1010. The client(s) 1010 can be hardwareand/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). Thesystem 1000 also includes one or more server(s) 1030. Thus, system 1000can correspond to a two-tier client server model or a multi-tier model(e.g., client, middle tier server, data server), amongst other models.The server(s) 1030 can also be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads,processes, computing devices). The servers 1030 can house threads toperform transformations by employing the aspects of the subjectinnovation, for example. One possible communication between a client1010 and a server 1030 may be in the form of a data packet transmittedbetween two or more computer processes.

The system 1000 includes a communication framework 1050 that can beemployed to facilitate communications between the client(s) 1010 and theserver(s) 1030. Here, the client(s) 1010 can correspond to programapplication components and the server(s) 1030 can provide thefunctionality of the interface and optionally the storage system, aspreviously described. The client(s) 1010 are operatively connected toone or more client data store(s) 1060 that can be employed to storeinformation local to the client(s) 1010. Similarly, the server(s) 1030are operatively connected to one or more server data store(s) 1040 thatcan be employed to store information local to the servers 1030.

By way of example, one or more clients 1010 can determine sun trackingposition data and transmit the data to server(s) 1030 via communicationframework 1050. This can be utilized, in one example, to store data inthe server data store(s) 1040 regarding position of the sun throughout agiven period of time (e.g., day, month, year, or a collection ofsubstantially any time measurement). The data can subsequently berecalled by one or more disparate client(s) 1010, in one example, suchas a solar cell positioning device to set a general direction for one ormore solar cells based on the time measurement.

What has been described above includes examples of aspects of theclaimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes ofdescribing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in theart may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of thedisclosed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the disclosedsubject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms“includes,” “has” or “having” or variations in form thereof are used ineither the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intendedto be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as“comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in aclaim.

1. A system for tracking the position of the sun to determine optimalpositioning for direct sunlight, comprising: a sunlight trackingcomponent that distinguishes at least one light source as directsunlight based at least in part on determining a collimation of thelight source; and a positioning component that modifies a position of adevice associated with the sunlight tracking component based at least inpart on a position of the light source distinguished as direct sunlight.2. The system of claim 1, the sunlight tracking component comprises aball lens that receives the light source and reflects the light sourceonto one or more quadrant cells, the collimation of the light source isdetermined at least in part by measuring a size of a focus point of thelight source reflected on the one or more quadrant cells.
 3. The systemof claim 2, the positioning component modifies the position of thedevice based at least in part on a location of the focus point on theone or more quadrant cells.
 4. The system of claim 1, the sunlighttracking component further distinguishes the light source as directsunlight at least in part by measuring a wavelength and a level ofpolarization of the light source.
 5. The system of claim 4, the sunlighttracking component comprises at least one filter that determines anintensity and/or spectrum of the wavelength of the light source based atleast in part on rejecting passing of light outside of a range utilizedby direct sunlight.
 6. The system of claim 4, the sunlight trackingcomponent comprises a plurality of differently angled polarizers thatdetermine the level of polarization of the light source based at leastin part on measuring a radiation level of the light source after passingthrough the each of the plurality of polarizers.
 7. The system of claim6, the measured radiation levels of the light source at each of theplurality of polarizers are similar indicating the level of polarizationto distinguish the light source as direct sunlight.
 8. The system ofclaim 4, the sunlight tracking component further distinguishes the lightsource as direct sunlight based at least in part on determining a lackof substantial modulation.
 9. The system of claim 1, further comprisinga clock component from which the position of a device associated withthe sunlight tracking component is initially set according to apredicted position of the direct sunlight.
 10. A method for determiningan optimal position of direct sunlight, comprising: determining acollimation of a light source at least in part by measuring a focuspoint of a reflection of the light source through a ball lens;distinguishing the light source as direct sunlight based at least inpart on a size of the focus point; and determining an optimal positionfor receiving the direct sunlight based at least in part on a positionof the focus point on a quadrant cell.
 11. The method of claim 10,further comprising aligning one or more solar cells or solar cell panelsbased at least in part on the determined optimal position for receivingdirect sunlight.
 12. The method of claim 10, further comprisingdetermining polarization level of the light source to furtherdistinguish the light source as direct sunlight at least in part bymeasuring radiation levels of the light source through a plurality ofdifferently angled polarizers.
 13. The method of claim 12, thepolarization level is low where the radiation levels from the pluralityof differently angled polarizers are similar.
 14. The method of claim10, further comprising allowing passage of light from the light sourcehaving a similar wavelength in a range utilized by sunlight through thespectral filter while rejecting passage of light from the light sourcehaving a wavelength outside of the range.
 15. The method of claim 14,further comprising measuring an intensity and/or spectrum of the lightfrom the light source passing through the spectral filter to furtherdistinguish the light source as direct sunlight.
 16. The method of claim10, further comprising determining a collimation of a disparate lightsource at least in part by measuring a disparate focus point of areflection of the disparate light source through the ball lens.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising determining the disparate lightsource as diffuse where the size of the disparate focus point is greaterthan a threshold size.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprisingand rejecting the disparate light source based at least in part ondetermining the light source as diffuse.
 19. A system for trackingposition of the sun, comprising: means for detecting direct sunlightfrom one or more light sources based at least in part on a measuredcollimation of the one or more light sources determined from a size of afocus point of the light source received through a lens; and means fordetermining an optimal axial position for receiving the detected directsunlight based at least on part on a position of the focus point on oneor more quadrant cells.
 20. The system of claim 19, further comprisingmeans for positioning one or more solar cells or solar cell panels onone or more optimum axes based at least in part on the determinedoptimal axial position for receiving the detected direct sunlight.